G/TFA/N/PAN/3   
16 March 2023  
(23-1937) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Trade Facilitation  Original: Spanish  
 
  
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 10.4.3 OF  THE 
AGREEMENT ON TRADE FACILITATION  
COMMUNICATION FROM PANAMA  
The following communication, dated 14 March 2023, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Panama.  
 
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Panama hereby makes the following notification in accordance with Article 10.4.3 of the 
Agreement  on Trade Facilitation (WT/L/940).  
Article 10.4.3  
Pursuant to  Executive Decree No. 53 of 15 July 1985, the Single Window is the technical uni t 
responsible for centralizing and expediting export formalities through permanent interaction and 
collaboration with various public entities concerned with Panama's international trade. On 
14 August  2012, pursuant to Executive Decree No. 130, an inter -institutional commission was 
created so that the Foreign Trade Electronic Single Window could be implemented and become 
operational. The Single Window was set up in response to exporters, who had to complete formalities 
for permits, licences, certificates of origin, seals and endorsements in person at each separate 
institution.  
The Foreign Trade Electronic Single Window is among  the tools aimed at facilitating the country's 
trade. Its main objective is to centralize and expedite  export formalities through perm anent 
interaction and collaboration with various public entities concerned with Panama's international 
trade. It currently includes officials from various government institutions for foreign trade 
formalities . 
The following institutions have a physical presence  at the Foreign Trade Single Window  facilities : 
1. Ministry of Trade and Industry (MICI -VUCE)  
2. National Customs Authority (ANA)  
3. Panamanian Aquatic Resources Authority (ARAP)  
4. Executive Directorate of Agricultural Quarantine (MIDA)  
5. National Food Inspection and Oversight Directorate (MINSA)  
The Foreign Trade Single Window of the Ministry of Trade and Industry works together with the 
National Customs Authority for the electronic approval of export declara tions of goods originating in 
Panama, with 95% of export formalities already digitalized.  
Customs declarations under other schemes are also processed manually/digitally. These are:  
- Export of nationalized goods  
- Re-export of non -nationalized goods  
- Foreign  drawback  
- Export for outward processing  G/TFA/N/PAN/3  
 
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  Panamanian Aquatic Resources Authority (ARAP)  
This governing entity  of the State  was created pursuant to  Law No. 44 of 23 November 2006 to 
ensure the implementation of the laws and regulations on marine -coastal resources, aquaculture, 
fisheries and related activities  and compliance therewith . 
- Law No. 9 of 16 March 2006 " banning shark finning in the jurisdictional waters of the 
Republic of Panama".  
- Regulated by Executive Decree No. 4 of February 199 7 "regulating the extraction, 
marketing and export of polychaetes".  
- Executive Decree No. 15 of 30 March 1981 "issuing measures to regulate lobster fishing 
and marketing".  
- ARAP Resolution No. 3 of 13 December 2007, JD Resolution No. 1 of 26 February 2008. 
"Export permits for black arks, clams, oysters, squid and octopus".  
- Executive Decree No. 157 of 31 December 2003 prohibiting the extraction, possession 
and marketing of the marine organism known as sea cucumber in the Republic of 
Panama (Executive Decree No . 20 of 21 May 2019 regulating the use of the aquatic 
resource known as sea cucumber).  
Executive Directorate of Agricultural Quarantine, Ministry of Agricultural Development  
The Executive Directorate of Agricultural Quarantine is responsible for issuing plant and animal 
health licences:  
Animal products:  
- Live animals (production)  
- Non-food animal by -products (leathers)  
- Veterinary medicines  
Plant products:  
- Plants  
- Non-food by -products  
- Seeds  
- Flowers  
- Fertilizers  
- Agricultural pesticides  
- Wood packaging  
Legal basis: Law No. 47 of 9 July 1996; Law No. 23 of 15 July 1997.  
https://siterpa.mida.gob.pa/iniciarsesion.aspx  
National Food Inspection and Oversight Directorate, Ministry of Health  
This Directorate was created pursuant to  Executive Decree No. 770 of 1 May 2021 and is the food 
inspection  unit responsible for overseeing and inspecting  food-related plants in order to  ensur e that 
they comply with food safety regulations (i.e. that they are safe and not harmful to the population ). 
Furthermore, the veterinary surveillance unit seeks to control the transmission  of diseases from 
animals to humans.  
It also certifies compliance wit h good manufacturing practices (GMP s), sanitation standard operating 
procedures (SSOP s), hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP s). G/TFA/N/PAN/3  
 
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  Documents requested by the exporter:  
- Certificate  of Free Sale : document that certifies/guarantees that the food p roducts 
produced by an establishment have been produced by a food company or establishment 
that is registered in the General Sanitary Registry of Food Companies and Foods and 
are therefore free for sale and consumption.  
- Sanitary Registry : registry of the microbiological technical characteristics (type of 
packaging, shape, size, quality and conservation) of a product to be launched on the 
market.  
Legal basis for the Certificate of Free Sale and Sanitary Registry in Executive Decree No.  331 of 
22 July 2008 "approving the registration of packaged and processed foods in the 
Republic  of Panama; domestic and foreign soaps, detergents and related products".  
For more information, visit: https://m ici.gob.pa/vuce -que-es-vuce/  
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